Ok, another newbie here. I'm looking to purchase an early 70's Ford f100 or f250 truck in the very near future. I live in Calif. so I'm looking for a 75 or older, but perferable a 71 or 72. First off, before I buy I have looked at a few around here and I needed to know a few things first before I buy.

First I would perfer a 302, So if I find a clean truck with another motor in it, are the engines exchangeable ( do all the early 70's years have the same motor mounts so you can slip in a 302 ? Is there a lot of parts available for these early fords? Junkyards etc?

Any specfic parts that are hard to locate or something I should really look for before buying?

Not looking to do a frameup restoration just something I can fix up and used as a daily driver.

What is some of your opinions about the 71 /72 F100 truck.
What the best motor for that time era?

Any info is greatly appreciated

Thanks
Jim

 

I have a 1972 Ford F100 with a 360 V8 engine. And I really love it, they are very reliable and easy and cheaper to fix. Here it is, now it has California plates. It came back, it was a California car for all but 1 year of its life:

 

 

Very nice, any advice?

 

Be patient and do a lot of research. It took me awhile. Good Luck.

 

As for motor mounts..no. I believe the only ones that Exchange or the f.e. engine and the 300 online perches. Everything else is different. I do believe the 351w and 302 mounts will Exchange..but im pretty sire the 351w wasn't out in 70. But don't quote me. As for parts..these are 40+ year old trucks. Some parts are easy to locate..others you just have to fab or go to a junkyard and salvage them. Keep am eye out for rot and rust issues in the floorboards..cab mounts and rockers. There are many parts to come by for these trucks.
Dennis Carpenter..LMC..NPD are just a few parts distributors for these trucks.
As for engines..that's arguable. Some may like one over others..depends on what YOU want and what the truck is intended for. 302 is a good driver type engine. Alot of these trucks had F.E. engines in them..360s..352s and such..cuz they were made to work.

 

351Ws debuted in 1969.

IMO, a nice driver is a shortbed 302/C4. Shortbeds are typically more desirable so don't be surprised when sellers ask for premium pricing over a longbed. The 302 is a well supported engine and can get decent gas mileage if it is driven with ease. Better yet with power steering and power brakes. Disc brakes can be swapped in from the 73-79 Dentsides.

The typical low-buck truck will be a longbed 360/C6 or 360/NP435. I would prefer the automatic over the manual tranny because the NP435 has a granny gear and it's not like it is used very often so you'll usually start out in 2nd gear. I'm eventually ditching my NP435 for a TKO-500. The 360FE is a thirsty, heavy duty engine, with its crankshaft set above the pan rails and inside the block webbing. The 302's crankshaft centerline is even with the pan rails. Do you "need" a 360? Prolly not... not for a daily driver.

71s and 72s are near identical twins. 70s have a one-year only grill inserts. Sport Customs have nicer trim but you should be aware of the cost to replace them. BIG BUCKS... so sometimes a plain jane custom makes for a more affordable driver cuz that bashed/dented/twisted piece of body moulding won't be staring at you every time you approach. Try to find one with uncut door panels or keep your eyes out while in the salvage yards for an uncut pair.

Things to be aware of include rusted floor pans, roof rails, cab corners, hood corners, cab mounts, and door corners. All but the roof rails are weekend repair jobs so make it a priority to find a rig with no roof rot.

My last piece of advice is to learn how to weld because rusty, but easily (a relative term of course) repairable trucks can often be bought for a song cuz rust tends to scare away potential buyers but not me!

My 70 was about to be scrapped by the previous owner for $650 to be paid by the air district to remove non-emission vehicles from the road). I paid him the same.

Good luck on your hunt... exercise patience!

 

You will want to look in the JYs for trucks with a 'G' engine code for 302 engine perches or stands, 73-79 'G' code perches for a 302, and 77-79 'H' code perches, as, IIRC, the 'H' code is for the 351M/400 engines which use the same perches as the 302 engines.
Also, here:
Comparison Photos of Engine Perches - FORDification.com

 

Jim Welcome to FTE and the bumpside forum.

As you might have guess by now, these old trucks range in body style groups. The bump side ranges from 67 to 72, then dent side 73-79. Engine bays and floor pans are pretty identical from 65 to 79. The 302 was available I believe in 68 and used up in the 90s.

The 250 is a heavy duty version of the 100, most all differences are below the chassis. The 250 springs are much stiffer and is a real tooth rattler, I'd recommend staying with the 100 for your needs.

Many of us have upgraded our trucks to power disc brakes and steering. Buying a 73-79 donor F100 auto will give you all your comfort upgrades at bolt in. You can sell unused parts many times and recover the cost of the donor. Unfortunately scrap prices have soared over the last few years and many parts have been scrapped & sold.

Your whole life is ahead, so take your time, don't get in a rush. There are solid 71-72s out there, engine doesn't matter so much as you can use newer ones and stuff an OD auto behind it for better mpgs.

My 2


John

 

351W's installed in 1981/96 F150/350's & Bronco's (no year F100's had 351W's). These engine mounting parts will not work on 1979 or earlier trucks.

Same engine supports aka towers, stands, perches: 1969/79 F100 302 / 1975/79 F150 302 / 1977/79 F100/350 351M/400 2WD

The 4th digit of the VIN is the engine code: G = 1969/79 302 / H = 1977/79 351M / S = 1977/79 400.

1970: The grille frame and plastic inserts (right/left same): 1970 only.

1971/72: The grille frame is the same, 1971 right & left specific grille inserts are a different style than 1972.

 

Thanks Bill. I was unsure and had a hunch I was wrong

 

I have a 1971 F100 parts truck that originally had a 302 with headers in it. My original plans were to build a 351W for it. Plans changed and I also have a 1968 F250 460 now. I'll sell you the engine stands and used headers cheap if you need them.

 

I'm new at this truck restoration thing. I have done dirt bikes for many years, but trucks are a whole new ball game. My first truck was a 71 f100 long bed with a 302. I remember the 302 being a good motor with decent gas milage. So I guess if I found the truck I'm looking for, make sure it has the 302? because a motor swap is a lot of work? The only things I would be hauling are a few dirt bikes and some dogs. I'm assuming most of the F250 had the bigger motors, so I guess I'll narrow the search down to just the F100.

Thanks again.
The more info the better.

 

Jim, No the 250 are bigger below the chassis, same engines available in both trucks. Stiffer springs, larger axles etc are under the 250.

I recommend staying with the 100, they can work hard too. My F100 towind a F150 4wd.



John

 

Yep. Stick to the F100 for cruising and gas mileage. F100's usually came with rear axle ratios somewhere around 3.00 to 3.50. My F250 came with 3.73's. Good for hauling but not for the gas pump.